Device for wrapping a connecting band around rod-shaped articles, such as axially aligned filter bodies and cigarettes



June 19, 1962 w. RuDszlNA-r 3,039,373

DEVCE FOR WRAPPING A CONNECTING BAND AROUND ROD-SHAPED ARTICLES, SUCH AS AXIALLY ALIGNED June 19, 1962 RUDsZlNA 3,039,373

W. DEVICE FOR WRAPPING A CONNECT BAND AROUND RODf-SHAPED ARTICLES, SUCH AS AXIALLY ALIGNED FILTER BODIES AND CIGARETTES Filed April 26, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O DEVICE FOR WRAPPING A CONNECTING BAND AROUND ROD-SHAPED ARTICLES, SUCH AS AXIALLY ALIGNED FILTER BODIES AND CIGA- RETTES Willy Rudszinat, Hamburg-Lohbrugge, Germany, assignor to Hanni-Werke Korber & Co. K.G., Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany Filed Apr. 26, 1960, Ser. No. 24,764 Claims priority, application Germany Apr. 27, 1959 4 Claims. (Cl. 93-77) The invention relates to cigarette making machines and particularly to a device for applying Wrapper sheets, connecting bands or the like to rod-shaped articles, such as filter bodies or groups of filter bodies and cigarettes or the like, but may also be applied to other rod-like articles. In devices which process such articles the latter may be axially aligned in a group in the grooves of a travelling conveyor, for example a rotary drum provided on `its circumference with grooves extending parallel to the axis of rotation. In such devices means lare necessary to wrap the two ends of the connecting bands transferred in U- form into the grooves around the filters or the ends of the filters and cigarettes. It is, for example, known to employ for this purpose a pair of folding members for each groove. These folding members have a spring-operated forward edge which serves for performing the folding operation and moves over the periphery of the rod-shaped article. Such devices as well as the control mechanism concerned must be arranged inside of the drum and this requires a relatively complicated construction involving a large number of component parts.

The present invention also employs a member arranged outside of a grooved conveyor drum for the filters or the like and moving in a rotary path and provided with surfaces for folding the two free ends of the connecting band already folded in U-form around the filter or the like, but the invention consists in the improvement that the folding means consist of grooves provided on the surface of a folding device, for example a folding drum, and which cooperate with the peripheries of the rod-shaped articles projecting away from the conveyor grooves supporting them.

While the known devices are dependent for their operation to a large extent or even primarily on the type of material of the filter or of the cigarettes or on the stiffness or transverse stiffness thereof, an advantage of the folding of the ends of the connecting band With the device according to the present invention is that this action is independent of the stiffness of the article to be wrapped which in some instances can even be omitted if small tubes, for example of paper, are to be produced.

In the region of the folding operation the free ends of the connecting band first enter the opposed folding grooves and during the further rotation of the folding drum are wrapped -around the rod-shaped articles. In order to secure a satisfactory initiation of the Wrapping operation a small groove is provided at the bottom of each folding groove and extends over the length thereof, being preferably of triangular or saw tooth profile and of which one wall runs tangentially to the bottom of the groove. In the engagement region the two ends of the connecting band slide along the defining surfaces of the grooves in the folding means until the end of the connecting band sliding into the small triangular groove presses against one wall of the triangular groove `serving as a stop. For this purpose this end of the connecting band may project somewhat more than the other end, which thereupon laps under the end engaged in the small triangular groove so that an overlapping of the ends of the connecting band is secured in the region of the bottom 3,639,373 Patented June 19, 1962 of the groove. The small groove furthermore ensures alignment of the connecting lband if the longitudinal edge thereof is disposed at an angle to the axis of the filter, since by butting against the leading corner of the connecting band this can be slid back and straightened out with the adhesive still in a fluid state.

The feed grooves containing the filters and/or the grooves of the folding drum can be pivotally mounted in order that the grooves may be aligned one with the other in the cooperating region. The pivotal movement of the grooves is in this case controlled by a cam in known manner whereby the projecting free ends of the connecting band, on approaching the associated grooves of the folding drum, are turned into a direct-facing position in such manner lthat they are presented to the groove walls nearest each end and can be moved along it.

The group of rod-like articles, the Wrapping of which is completed in each case at the moment of traversing the plane joining the axes of the folding drum and of the feed drum, may enter beneath ya comb-like holding member shortly in advance of this plane. This member has the function of maintaining the pressure exerted by the bottom of the grooves of the folding drum on the overlapping or butting points of the connecting band during a part of the further rotation of the grooved conveyor drum.

The drawing `shows the grooved conveyor drum of a recess filter ymachine as one constructional example of the invention, embodying a rotating folding drum adjacent a grooved conveyor drum, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows in diagrammatic manner the cooperation of the rotating folding drum with the grooves of the feed drum and also shows the commencement and completion of the Wrapping operation,

FIG. 2 shows the cooperation of two grooves in an intermediate position,

FIG. 3 shows the cooperation in another intermediate position,

FIG. 4 is a partial section of a comb-like hold-down member viewed in the direction of the arrow C in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 5 is a section through the support for the folding drum illustrated in a reduced scale.

Referring to the drawing, a conveyor drum 2 is provided on its circumference with grooves 1 extending parallel to the axis of rotation to receive filters or other articles 3 at a preceding station together wit-h a U-shaped connecting band `4 placed around the filters and of which one end `6 projects further outwardly than the other end 7. The filters 3 are brought by the rotation of the feed drum 2 into the operative region of folding grooves 9 which are provided at the periphery of a positively driven rotating folding `drum 5 and perform 'the folding of the ends \6 and 7 of the connecting band 4 projecting from the feed grooves 1 by means of the end [faces 8 of 'the grooves. The folding grooves 9 are arranged on a pitch circle 10 of the folding drum 5 which in the primary position of adjustment of the lfolding drum 5 relatively to the feed drum 2 just touches the pitch circle 11 of the latter so that the peripheral speed at both pitch circles 10, 11 is the same. At the bottom of the folding groove -9 there is arranged a small triangular groove 18 which consti-tutes a stop face 17. A wall portion 19 of this groove 18 extends tangentially to the bottom of the groove 9.

In order to obtain the rnost favorable conditions for folding the ends l6 and 7 of the connecting band and considering the small differences in the diameters of the filters 3, the shaft 12 of the folding drum 5 may be adjusted about the axis of a shaft 14 to provide for a displacement relatively to the feed drum 2. When handling various sorts of filters 3 (for example different lfilter sizes o1' shapes) both the feed grooves 1 of the feed drum 3 2 as also the folding grooves 9 in a carrier 15 of the folding drum 5 are exchangeable in known manner by being carried in removable blocks 16, while the tine adjustment is obtained by adjusting the distance of the shaft 12 relatively to the feed drum 2.

The feed grooves 1 facing the folding grooves 9 of the folding drum 5 and/or the folding grooves 9 themselves can in known manner be aligned one to the other during the mutua-l approach movement, for example they can be tilted so that the ends 6 and 7 of a connecting band 4 can engage, without -disturbing the correct position in the feed grooves 1, the folding grooves 9. In the course of the further rotation of the folding drum S and of the `feed drum 2 the wrapping of the iilters is completed since one end 6 of the connecting band 4 glides over the leading Wall v8a of the folding drum 5 until it engages the stop face 17 of the triangular groove 18, and the other end 7 of the connecting band 4 slides over the other wall 8b of the groove 9 until it is overlapped with the first end part 6 and pressed down into position.

IIn order to assure that the adhesive on the leading -end part of the connecting band is removed by the overlapping end of the other connecting band, the depth of the groove is greater than the thickness of the connecting band thus providing a slight clearance at the overlap point.

The amount of the overlap U can be determined by the length of the connecting band and/or can be additionally inuenced by the aforesaid adjustment of the distance of the shaft 12 of the folding drum 5 from the feed drum 2. It is even possible to eliminate the overlap completely if a wrapping with endwise butting edges is to be produced. For this purpose the triangular `groove or llengthwise extending recess 18 has a corresponding depth or the groove or recess 18 can be completely eli-minated.

In order that the parts of the grooves 9 and grooves 1 projecting beyond the pitch circles 10 and 11 thereof, respectively, can penetrate one in the other, they are slotted in-comb-like manner. The blocks 16 are for this purpose provided with recesses 21 which permit interengagement of the blocks 16 with `the grooves 1, because each groove 1 has recesses A intended for the passage of the fingers formed by the recesses 21 on the blocks 16, which recesses also lie in the region of engagement of the parts 25, 26 of the webs 27 remaining between the recesses 21 and have extensions A1. As a result of this comb-like interengagement of the projecting elements of Vthe two types of grooves the result is advantageously -tobtained that already before the beginning of the wrapping operation a safe guiding of the connecting band on all sides is assured.

In order that the ends =6 of the connecting band 4 can slide into the triangular groove 18 the corresponding groove wall 19 is so arranged that it is preferably tangential to the wall portion 8a of the'groove 9. The face 17 of the groove 18 serving as a stop is disposed approximately at right angles to the wall 19. The wrapping operation olf-a group of iilters 3 is essentially completed as shown at when the plane adjoining the shaft 12 of the wrapper drum 5 and the axis of the filter drum is reached. Thereupon the wrapped group travels to following stations which are not relevant to the invention, for example stations for drying the adhesive or for heat sealing, by rotation of the conveyor drum 2.

A comb-like hold-down member 20 is preferably arranged immediately after the Wrapping station. This member 26 is adjustably mounted on the machine frame by means of elongated mounting holes 20a and screws 2Gb and a fine adjustment device 20c being adjustable in relation to the Ifolding drum 5 and the conveyor drum 2 in such manner that the finger portions 22 Ithereof engaging the recesses 21 of the blocks 16 provide the outer guiding for the filter groups 3 or the wrappers U or the overlaps over a following section of the further rotation of the conveyor drum 2, whereby the articles can traverse this path section satisfactorily.

The individual guide surfaces 23 of the fingers 22 are progressively widened so that finally they form complete surfaces 24 which extend approximately over the whole -length of the wrapper U and function as guide surfaces. This merging of individual guide surfaces 2,3 of the fingers 22 to a complete and unbroken guide sur-face 24 performs a smoothing or laying down of the ends 6, 7 of the connecting band 4 at `the smaller curvature trend at the edge portions thereof.

The drive of the folding drum 15 which is adjustably fastened to one end 2S of the shaft 12 by means of a suitable nut 29 or the likeis effected by meansof a housing 32 provided with an inner toothed ring surface 30 secured to the other end 31 of this shaft 12. A pinion 33 secured to the shaft 14 engages the inner toothed ring 30 and is driven from the common drive of the machine and in synchronisrn with the rotation of the conveyor drum 2. The shaft 12 is rotatably supported in a sleevelike bearing body 13 provided with a ange 34. The sleeve-like bearing 13 is rotatably adjustable about the axis of shaft 14 and carries the shaft 12 eccentrically by the amount of the pitch circle radius of the pinion 33. Thereby it is possible to perform the aforesaid adjustment of the distance of the shaft 12 of the folding drum 5 from the conveyor drum 2 by rotating the flange 34 about its axis, i.e. about the axis of the shaft 14 without disturbing the engagement of the pinion 33 with the internally toothed ring 311. Screen 35 for maintaining a predetermined adjustment may kengage elongated holes 36 in the flange 34 concentric to the driving shaft 14 and clamping the ange 34 firmly to the machine frame.

What I claim is:

1. In a device for wrapping a connecting band around axiaily aligned rod-'like articles disposed in thegrooves of a rotary grooved conveyor drum carrying rod-shaped articles with connecting bands thereon which lare folded to U-shape with their free ends projecting beyond the periphery of said rotary drum, including means moving externally of said conveyor for 'folding the outwardly projecting ends of said U-shaped connecting bands completely around said rod-shaped articles, said folding means consisting of grooved members mounted on the surface of a rotary folding drum -arranged to receive `and cooperate with the projecting ends of said connecting band and fold the same about said rod-like articles, said grooved members being provided'with a groove the bottom of which is provided with Aa lengthwise extending Vrecess t for engaging one end of said U-shaped folded connecting band.

2. In a device according to claim 1, in which said Vlengthwise extending recess is triangular in cross-section yand has an entry wal-l for engaging that end of the connecting band which projects further than the other end thereof Vso as to form the outer part of the overlap and extending preferably tangentially to the bottom of the recess in the grooved member and constitutes a stop surface `against which the end of the connecting band abuts.

3. In a device according to claim 1, in which said lengthwise extending recess is triangular in cross-section and has an entry wall for engaging that end of the connecting band which projects further than the other end thereof so as to form the outer part of the overlap and extending preferably tangenti-ally to the bottom of the recess in the grooved member and constitutes a stop surface against which the end of the connecting band abuts, the depth of said lengthwise extending recess being greater than'the thickness of the connecting band.

4. In a devicefor wrapping-a connecting band around axially aligned rod-like articles disposed in the grooves of a transversely grooved conveyor carrying rod-shaped articles with connecting bands thereon which are folded to Ushape With their `free, ends projecting beyond the surface of said conveyor, including lmeans moving externally of said conveyor for `folding the outwardly projecting ends of said U-shaped connecting bands completely around `said rod-shaped articles, said folding means consisting of grooved members mounted on the surface of a movable folding member arranged to receive and cooperate with the projecting ends of said connecting bands 10 and fold the same about said rod-like articles, said grooved members being provided with `a groove the Wa'll of which is provided with a lengthwise extending shoulder for engaging one end of said U-shaped folded connecting band.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,147,278 Ahne Feb. 14, 1939 2,620,609 Pope Dec. 9, 1952 2,855,938 Stelzer Oct. 14, 1958 

